Learning Basic Social Skills: Part 3
by angelkittysmith
Summary: During the second half of summer 2017 on every Saturday, my friends Sarah, James, Henri, and I go on various outings with my other friend, Carly and her parents to the Original Pancake House, Muv Integrated Gym, Primanti's, Zone 28, the National Aviary, and a Pirates Game at PNC Park. NOTE: I do not own Liberty's Kids or iCarly. Nickelodeon and PBS Kids do.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Breakfast at the Original Pancake House

One humid Saturday morning in July 2017, I drove up with my childhood friends Sarah, James, and Henri to the Original Pancake House on McKnight Road for breakfast, where we also met up with one of my other best friends, Carly Shay, and her parents, Sam and Freddie. "Hi, guys!" I greeted my friends. "Hi, Angel!" Sarah greeted back. "Hi, Sarah!" Carly greeted. "What do you think of this restaurant, Mrs. Shay?" James asked Carly's mom. "Good choice for breakfast," Mrs. Shay replied. "Normally, we would go to Pamela's P&G Diner for breakfast," Mr. Benson told everyone. "Where is that located?" Henri asked. "That is in Squirrel Hill, Henri," Mr. Benson replied. "I went there 3 times this summer," I told everyone. "In May, I got an omelet, in June, I got pancakes, and in July, I got waffles." "Ooh, James and I would love waffles for breakfast," Henri replied, licking his lips. "I want a chocolate chip waffle." "Good idea, Henri," James agreed. "I will have a blueberry waffle." James sighed. "My old girlfriend, Phillis always used to love blueberry waffles- one of our favorite things to eat for breakfast when we were still dating." "Come to think of it, I actually like this restaurant better than Pamela's P&G Diner," Mrs. Shay told James. "We should come here again sometime." "The last time we came here was around Thanksgiving," James remembered. "I am going to have a Western omelet," I decided. "Good choice, Angel," Sarah agreed. "I think that I will have an omelet, too- but with mushrooms inside." Sarah paused. "Do you know what you want to eat yet, Carly?" "Yes, I do, Sarah," Carly replied. "Something really yummy- s'more pancakes! I can even share them with you!" "That's nice," Sarah remarked. "I remember one fall when it quickly turned cooler, and we were making s'more pancakes for breakfast," Carly told us. "I was 14." "I was 14 when I made pumpkin-flavored pancakes in the fall," Sarah told Carly and me. Pretty soon, our meals came. Sarah, Carly, and I ordered fruit salads with our meals, as well as glasses of milk. James and Henri's yummy waffles came, while Mrs. Shay and Mr. Benson ordered the specialty meals: Apple Pancakes for Mrs. Shay and the Dutch Baby for Mr. Benson. Carly was nice enough to give Sarah and me each a s'more pancake to try. "Mmm, this is really yummy," I remarked. "Uh-huh," Sarah agreed. "Good choice, Carly." Henri had chocolate on his face again when eating his waffle. "Henri, wipe the chocolate off your mouth," Mr. Benson pointed out. Henri got a napkin and did that. "Wow, those are pretty nice pancakes you have, Mrs. Shay," James remarked. "Next time I come here, I will order pancakes." Once we got our checks, we left the restaurant. "Thanks for a great breakfast, guys!" I thanked everyone. "You're welcome," Sarah replied. "Bye, guys!" "Bye!"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Muv and Primanti's

One pleasant Saturday morning at the end of July 2017, my childhood friends Sarah, James, and Henri drove up with me to Muv Integrated Physical Center in East Liberty to work out with my other best friend, Carly Shay and her parents, Sam and Freddie. "Hi, guys!" I greeted my parents. "Hi, Angel!" Sarah greeted back. "You're just in time for some yoga," Carly told me. Mrs. Shay was introducing James to Jhon, the main instructor of Muv. "How do you know Jhon, Mrs. Shay?" James asked. "Well, I come here to work out a lot, James," Mrs. Shay stated. "I am also good Facebook friends with Jhon, just like I am with you." "In case you didn't know, I am also good Facebook friends with Angel's best friend, Emily Mistle's younger brother, Michael," James informed Jhon. "I'm good at photography, just like he is." Henri and Mr. Benson were also playing with Jhon's little dog. "I wish I had a dog like that, Mr. Benson," Henri stated. "Me too, Henri," Mr. Benson stated. "But, Sam is good Facebook friends with your brother, as well as Jhon." Pretty soon, it was time to start the workouts. Jhon showed us some different yoga poses, such as rolling our shoulders and our heads back and forth, breathing in and out, and finally partner exercises, in which Sarah was my partner. "Thanks for teaching us those workouts, Jhon," James thanked the instructor. "They were lots of fun." "You're welcome, James," Jhon replied. "Some of them were pretty tricky, similar to me learning how to juggle as a teenager," James told us. "You learned how to juggle?" Mrs. Shay asked. "Yes, I did, Mrs. Shay," James replied, "and I am very good at it." We all drank water after we worked out. Then, we went to Primanti's for lunch. "What do you think you would like to eat for lunch, Carly?" Sarah asked. "I don't know, but the only thing I want to eat that is not on the kids' menu is a cheese combo with a blend of American, Swiss, and provolone cheeses," Carly replied. "I am going to order a cobb salad, because I brought cupcakes for everyone to eat for dessert," I told everyone. "Then in this case, I will order a turkey breast and cheese sandwich with double meat and have my coleslaw and French fries on the side," Sarah decided. "Wow Sarah, you are really learning how to make good food choices," Carly remarked. "I remember when I wanted to try out for drill team my freshman year and I was heading to a restaurant just beforehand, I had to pick the healthiest choice possible." "I don't know if a triple cheese sandwich is exactly healthy," Sarah pointed out. "Yeah, I think a cobb salad would be much healthier," I agreed with my friend. "Especially since we are having cupcakes later!" We then got our meals with various beverages to drink as well. I got my chicken cobb salad. Sarah got her turkey and cheese sandwich. Carly got her three-cheese sandwich. James ordered an angus sirloin steak and cheese sandwich. Mrs. Shay ordered "The Capone," with capicola, salami, hot sausage, and provolone cheese. Henri ordered the "Pitts-Burger". Mr. Benson ordered the double roast beef and cheddar sandwich. After we got our checks, I shared my chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese frosting with everyone. "Is this neighborhood known for their cupcakes?" Carly asked Sarah. "No, Carly," Sarah replied. "Angel baked these herself, like she did on a couple of outings that just the four of us went on." "Although I do remember baking these last time we came to the Glass Center here," I remembered. Pretty soon, it was time for me to go to the Mistles' house, which was not very far away. "Thanks for a great workout and lunch, everyone!" I thanked my friends. "You're welcome, Angel," Sarah replied. "Bye, guys!" "Bye!" 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Bowling at Zone 28

One warm Thursday in June 2017, I met my childhood friends Sarah, James, and Henri at Zone 28 in Harmar, along with another one of my friends, Carly Shay and her parents, Sam and Freddie. "Hi, guys!" I greeted my friends. "Hi, Angel!" Sarah greeted back. "I can't wait to bowl here," Carly stated. "Well, you're in for a treat, Carly," Mrs. Shay told her daughter. "I have always loved this place, Mrs. Shay," James stated, "except for I have always known this place as Fun Fest." "What do you like to do here, Henri?" Mr. Benson asked. "Bowl and play arcade games, of course," Henri replied. "That's a silly question." After we got our bowling shoes, we bowled at least 4 games. I got on a team with Sarah and Carly, while James, Henri, Mrs. Shay, and Mr. Benson got on another. I needed help aiming my ball toward the pins, so Carly and Sarah tried to help me, even though they were not that much better at bowling than I was. The other team looked like they were doing great, though. "They have Halloween bowling here," Mrs. Shay informed James. "Would you like to try it sometime?" "Sure, why not?" Mr. Benson added. "I would love to do that, as long as it does not completely interfere with trick-or-treating," James decided. "Also, I wouldn't find any Power Ranger costumes," Henri added. "What is it with you and Power Ranger costumes, Henri?" Mr. Benson asked. "That has always been his obsession," James told Mrs. Shay and Mr. Benson. "I always liked dressing up as a cowboy for Halloween." "Perfect," Mrs. Shay agreed. "I always loved dressing up as a cowgirl for Halloween." Meanwhile, Sarah, Carly, and I were having a conversation of our own while bowling. "I remember when I first bowled here during Easter weekend my freshman year of high school," Carly told me and Sarah. "Wait a minute, were you actually bowling on Easter?" Sarah asked. "Not exactly, Sarah," Carly explained. "It was actually on a Friday, when my relatives were first coming to visit." "I have never bowled on Easter," I stated rolling my ball down the lane. I knocked down 9 out of 10 pins. "Good job, Angel," Sarah complimented me. "Can one of you guys help me to aim at and knock that last pin down?" I asked. "Sure, Angel," Carly agreed. She helped me move the walker toward the last bowling pin on the left, which I knocked down easily and resulted in my fourth spare of the game. "Good job again, Angel," Sarah complimented me. Then, Carly took her turn bowling. "You're doing great, Angel," Sarah told me. "I mean it, you are really improving at your bowling skills." "Thanks, Sarah," I replied. "Okay, it's your turn now!" Sarah took her turn bowling. "Gosh darn it," Sarah told me. "I was this close to getting a spare, but I couldn't quite knock the pin down." When I took my turn, I bowled yet another spare, and then on my bonus turn, I knocked 7 pins down, scoring an even 118 points. "Way to go, Angel," Sarah told me. "Great," Carly agreed. We then paid for our games and ordered some snacks. I met my other friends, Emily and Erin Mistle, and shared baked potatoes with them. Sarah, James, and Henri ordered an appetizer sampler platter with chicken wings, soft pretzels with beer, potato skins, and mozzarella sticks. Carly and her parents ordered a pizza. Finally, we played some games at the arcade, such as my personal favorite Skeeball, Fruit Ninja, Down the Clown, Milk Jug Toss, Cyclone, and Poker. I won prizes to share with my female friends Sarah and Carly. I kept the Slinky toy, while Sarah got the thumbtack and Carly got the toy fish. "Thanks for a great day, everyone!" I thanked my friends. "You're welcome, Angel," Sarah replied. "Bye, guys!" "Bye!"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Visiting the National Aviary

On a pleasant second Saturday of August 2017, my childhood friends Sarah, James, and Henri met my other friend, Carly Shay and her parents, Sam and Freddie at the National Aviary to look at the birds. "Hi, guys!" I greeted my friends. "Hi, Angel!" Sarah greeted back. "You're just in time to look at the birds with us," Carly told me. "I have another surprise for us after we look at the birds here," James stated. "What's that, James?" Mrs. Shay asked. "You'll see," James told us. Pretty soon, we heard shouts of football players coming from Heinz Field. "What was that?" Henri asked. "That's probably football camp, since football season is coming up," Mr. Benson told us. "Didn't you try to get us tickets to a football game once, James?" Henri asked. "Yes, but they weren't available," James remembered, "so we ended up playing our own game of football in the backyard." "I used to love playing football when I was dating Freddie," Mrs. Shay told James. "I always ended up winning," Mr. Benson added. "Why don't we go look at some birds?" I asked my friends. "I can even take pictures with my cell phone." We each took a look at some of our favorite birds, including finches, blue jays, flamingos, owls, and even some aquatic birds like penguins and ducks. "I liked all those birds, guys," I told my friends. "The blue jays are pretty cool because they represent being competitive and energetic." "The owl is a pretty cool bird because they do not sleep at night and are the only nocturnal animals that I can think of, besides raccoons," Sarah claimed. "I like ducks best because they are yellow, which is one of my favorite colors, and they are one of the best aquatic birds, besides penguins," Carly told me. "Yeah, we don't really have many penguins around us besides in the Pittsburgh Zoo," I agreed. After we visited the Aviary, James took us all to Wexford to take a tour of the Woodland Hills Summer Camp and get Chinese food afterward. There were six different types of Chinese food that we liked: sweet and sour chicken, beef lo mein, chicken with broccoli, chicken lo mein, pork fried rice, egg rolls, and steamed dumplings. We all got fortune cookies and orange slices to eat with our meals. "I like this Chinese restaurant, James," Mrs. Shay stated. "It reminds me of the Chinese restaurant in Natrona Heights where I took Carly to before she started her summer job." "We came here before our job interviews back in March," James remembered. "We just have one more week of weekly wrap-ups before camp ends." Pretty soon, it was time for us to head back home. "Thanks for a great day, guys," I replied. "You're welcome, Angel," Sarah replied. "Bye, guys!" "Bye!"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The Pirates Game

One warm afternoon in August 2017, I drove up with my childhood friends Sarah, James, and Henri to the Pirates vs. Cardinals Game in PNC Park, where we met up with another one of my friends, Carly Shay and her parents, Sam and Freddie. "Hi, guys!" I greeted my friends. "Hi, Angel!" Sarah greeted back. "Here are your tickets, guys," James told us. He gave me my ticket, which was Section 309 Row R Seat 20. "Thanks for buying us tickets to this game, James," Mrs. Shay thanked him. "You're welcome," James replied. "I'm hungry," Henri remarked. "We can go get some food at the Federal State Grille," Mr. Benson stated. We got up from our seats and got some food. When I got food with Sarah and Carly, we ran into Deborah, a woman who volunteered to clean up at PNC Park, as well as Frick Park. "Deborah," Sarah greeted. "It's good to see you again." "Good to see you too, Sarah," Deborah agreed. "And these are your young friends, too. What are their names again?" "Angel Smith and Carly Shay," Sarah replied. They had lots of good food at the Federal State Grille- chicken tenders, burgers, hot dogs, French fries, beef kabobs, cracker jacks, sodas, etc. "I am going to put my dishes in the recycling bin once I am done," Sarah told us. "That's very good, Sarah," I remarked. "Yeah, you seem to know a lot about taking care of the Earth," Carly stated. "I learned it all from James," Sarah explained. "He got an A on his Earth Day project, and I ended up getting a D." "I helped her get through it all," I added. It was time for the Pierogie Race at the end of the 4th inning. Jalapeño Hannah, my favorite pierogi, ended up winning. Sarah, Carly, and I then got some desserts. We ran into Deborah once again. "Would you guys like some dessert?" she asked. "Sure, do you have Dippin' Dots?" I asked. "Yes, we do," Deborah replied. "What flavor would you like?" "How about Cookies n' Cream?" I requested. "Coming right up." Sarah purchased a neapolitan ice cream sandwich and Carly purchased cotton candy. "Tell me a little bit about yourself, Carly," Deborah offered. "I visited Angel in Edinboro her freshman year, and I remember eating ice cream just like this," Carly told Deborah. "Do you want me to make you some Dippin' Dots, too?" Deborah offered. "I can trade you my Dippin' Dots for your cotton candy," I offered. "That's nice, Carly," Sarah agreed. "And, I can split half my ice cream sandwich with Carly, too." "This will remind you of when you met me as I started college," I told Carly. "I'm glad I have older friends who support me," Carly thanked. We then went back to our seats to watch the game, in which it was then seventh inning stretch and we sang along to "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" with the bouncing Eat n' Park cookie. It was also Scratch n' Win Saturday and Free Bobblehead Give-Away Day. The Pittsburgh Pirates also won the game over the St. Louis Cardinals. Before we knew it, the game was over and I went back to the Renaissance Hotel with Sarah, James, and Henri, where we were staying overnight at. "Thanks for a great evening, guys!" I thanked my friends. "You're welcome, Angel," Carly replied. "Bye, guys!" "Bye!"


End file.
